Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Thorens TD150 11.

Just bought a Thorens TD150 11. on Ebay. It arrived in a poor state looking like it had spent its life in a pub or iron foundry. So with a lot of cleaning and re-adjustment of various things it is now working and sounding as it should.
I will change the current cartridge which is an A&M for an Audio Technica. The phono lead and plugs will go for higher quality ones.

I also was thinking of changing the Tandberg plinth, which is of a rather poor quality for a nice solid walnut one. For the time being I have placed a foam sheet under the plinth and that has made quite a decent difference.

Starting the refurb and replacing the plinth.1. Firstly the aluminium top cover must be removed. It is secured by double-sided tape, but in my case it was some sort of glue. This has to be heat softened to gently release the top aluminium sheet, I used a hairdryer.2. Then with the plinth removed, I placed it on an upturned table so that later I will be able to get at the three suspension springs and adjust them to a satisfactory standard.

3. Once the top sheet is removed you can undo the 5 screws that hold the turntable to the wooden plinth.

Using an upturned coffee table, I was able to adjust the deck suspension springs, from below, because I was previously getting a scraping noise whenever I tried to use the 45rpm speed, due the speed changer catching the underside of the platter. Fixed.

There is a helpful guide for adjusting the suspension springs here by Tim Bailey at the Analogedept. Although I didn't follow the instructions to the letter, a bit too much attention to detail.